Sniffing out immunity

No more needles or special medical training to administer vaccines - that is the hope driving new research in Germany into vaccines that could be sniffed. The "c-di-IMP" molecule being tested on mice might one day be able to bring down vaccination costs, boost immunity, and be used in nasal vaccine sprays, according to the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research.



"Mucosal [nasal] vaccines can prevent not only diseases, but also to block infections before they even take place, thereby protecting also non-vaccinated contacts against disease," said Carlos A. Guzmán, head of the vaccine department.



Although these sprays are promising, people may be reluctant to sniff, WHO's director of vaccine research, Marie-Paul Kieny, told IRIN. "[It is] good for people afraid of needles ... but there is a certain reluctance of the public - [nasal sprays] look new. They like shots, after all, it looks more 'medical'."



The World Health Organization (WHO) has only approved one nasal spray vaccine, MedImmune Flumist, for preventing influenza.



Of mice and men



Aluminium salts are commonly added to vaccines to increase efficacy, but their impact is waning; WHO said efforts were underway to find new molecular helpers - also called adjuvants - to create vaccines for diseases like malaria and HIV.

Preventable deaths
	2.5 million children died in 2004 from preventable diseases
Source: WHO, 2004

The "c-di-IMP" molecule has only been shown to boost immunity in mice thus far, and Kieny told IRIN it was not clear for how long the molecule could protect humans. "The lifespan of this animal does not extend a year, so for the time being the best evidence might be that immunity lasts for one year."



Two and a half million children died in 2004, the most recent year for which data was analyzed, from diseases that could be prevented by vaccines recommended by WHO.



Maintaining and expanding immunizations from 2006 to 2015 in 72 countries eligible for subsidized vaccines would cost an estimated US$35.5 billion, which is less than $50 for every child born in those countries, according to WHO. 



The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged US$10 billion over the next decade, with most of the funds going to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations, which subsidizes vaccine costs for the 72 countries.



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